Fifth Water Hot Springs is a set of natural geothermal soaking pools on Fifth Water Creek in Diamond Fork Canyon, on the Spanish Fork Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Many Utahns know it as Diamond Fork Hot Springs. The pools sit at roughly 6,000 feet, about 16 miles east of Springville as the crow flies, where warm, sulfur-smelling water comes out of the canyon wall right beside a cold waterfall on the creek. No road reaches the pools, so every visit starts with a hike on Forest Service trail.

Most people start at the Three Forks Trailhead. From I-15 take exit 257A onto US-6 east toward Price, turn left (north) onto Diamond Fork Road (Forest Road 029) and drive about 11 miles to the signed lot. The Forest Service calls the lot very small, asks drivers to park only in designated pullouts without blocking the road, and says ticketing and towing are strongly enforced. Fifth Water Trail #015 crosses a footbridge, follows Sixth Water Creek for about 1.1 miles, crosses a second bridge and turns right up Fifth Water Creek. The largest springs are about 1.5 miles up that side canyon, so plan on roughly 4.5 miles round trip. A quieter route drops in from above, starting at the Fifth Water Trailhead on Rays Valley Road. In winter Diamond Fork Road is often closed short of Three Forks, which local guides say adds about 3 miles each way, and the trail can be icy enough that traction devices help.

The soaking area is a chain of small pools that visitors have rimmed with rocks along the creek. The hottest ones sit right below the waterfall, with more just above it, and they get cooler as you move downstream. Guides put the source at around 111 F and most pools at roughly 100 to 102 F. The water is often a milky blue-green. These are sitting-depth pools with rocky, sometimes slippery bottoms, not a place to swim laps. There are no lifeguards, changing rooms or drinking water. The trailhead has a vault toilet and picnic tables.

The springs are open to the public and there is no charge to soak, but Three Forks Trailhead is a Forest Service fee site. Day use costs $10 per vehicle for three days, $20 per vehicle for seven days, or $60 per vehicle for the season, and the Forest Service honors Interagency America the Beautiful passes and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest passes, which must be displayed while parked. No closing hours are posted for the springs.

Water quality is the big issue here. The Utah Division of Water Quality has the springs on a Health Watch, and its July 15, 2026 update says harmful bacteria may be present and that multiple people developed severe rashes and blisters after visiting this summer. State testing in December 2022 also confirmed toxigenic cyanobacteria in mats around the pools. The state and the Forest Service advise keeping your head above water, keeping the water out of your mouth, not letting dogs drink it, avoiding the algae on pool sides and bottoms, and drying off and showering right after soaking rather than hiking out in wet clothes. Check the state's Fifth Water monitoring page before you go.

The trail keeps going past the springs for anyone who wants a longer day. Fifth Water Trail #015 climbs another mile to a jeep road and Rays Valley Road and eventually reaches Strawberry Ridge, and Sixth Water Trail #016 continues up the other fork from the second bridge. The Forest Service also lists stream fishing at Three Forks.